A magazine and tube dispensing method is provided. The magazine includes a receiving compartment for temporarily receiving unfilled tubes intended for filling with a flowable product, the compartment being formed with a movable outer rail wall. A gate assembly downstream from the receiving compartment includes a constriction passageway formed between a lateral inner wall and a lateral member wall allowing downward gravity feed of tubes only in a single file. The lateral member wall is movable in a direction toward or away from the lateral inner wall and integrally movable as a member of the outer rail wall, thereby adjusting a cross-sectional dimension of the passageway to accommodate processing of different diameter tubes.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A method for filling tubes comprising: (a) providing a tube dispensing magazine comprising: a receiving compartment for temporarily receiving a first plurality of unfilled tubes intended for being filled with a flowable product, the compartment being formed with a movable outer rail wall; a gate assembly downstream from the receiving compartment and including a constriction passageway formed between a lateral inner wall and a lateral member wall allowing movement of tubes only in a single file, the lateral member wall being movable in a direction toward or away from the lateral inner wall and being integrally movable as a member of the outer rail wall thereby adjusting a cross-sectional dimension of the passageway to accommodate processing of different diameter tubes; (b) integrally moving said outer rail wall and said lateral wall member to adjust the cross-sectional dimension of the passageway to accommodate processing of preselected diameter unfilled tubes; (c) loading the receiving compartment with the preselected diameter unfilled tubes; (d) allowing the magazine to feed the preselected diameter unfilled tubes, one tube at a time, to a product filling station downstream from the magazine; and (e) filling each of the preselected diameter unfilled tubes with product.
2. The method according to claim 1 wherein at a time subsequent to filling the first plurality of unfilled tubes, adjusting the cross-sectional dimension of the passageway to receive an alternate set of unfilled tubes having diameters different from the first plurality of unfilled tubes, and loading the magazine with the alternate set of unfilled tubes.
3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the first plurality of unfilled tubes are each capped at one end thereof prior to loading into the receiving compartment.
4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the outer rail wall comprises a lifting arm member projecting inward within the receiving compartment.
5. A method according to claim 4 wherein the lifting arm member comprises a lifting arm which is pivotable relative to an interior of the receiving compartment functioning to constrict an array of the unfilled tubes traveling downward into the passageway.
6. A method according to claim 4 wherein the lifting arm member reduces static pressure of tubes above relative to a lowest row of tubes near an upper end of the passageway.
7. The method according to claim 4 further comprising an actuating member attached to a surface of the lifting arm member on a wall exterior to the receiving compartment.
8. The method according to claim 7 wherein the actuating member is an air driven piston assembly.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
August 1, 2005
August 26, 2008
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